Feed-water heater.



No. 828,414."k PATENTBD AUG. 14, 1906. '11. W. LEG'EL; 1 l FEED WATER HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. l25, 1905.

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\ Unrnn STATES- HENRY w. Lacan, or KANSAS oiTY, MISSOURI.

` FEED-WATER HEATER,

. Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented Aug. 14, 190e.

applicati@ aiealsepamber 25,1905. serial Nt. 279.965.

i T all whm it may concern:

' water fed to the boiler shall be eiiicient Be itknown that I, HENRY W. LEGnL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the countyv of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Water Heatthe following is a specification. This invention relates to feed-water heaters, and has for its object to produce apparatus of this character whereby the supply o y an expeditiously heated and antomaticallyregulated.

A further object is to produce apparatus of' this character of Simple, strong, durable, and

inexpensive construction With these objects 1n vlew and others as hereinafter appear the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of con- "struction and organization, as hereinafter described and claimed, ma be fully understood. reference is to b'e .and in order that it ha to theaccompanyingdrawings,inwh1chrectangular vwith the steam- Figure 1 is a vertical section, onvthe line-.I II of Fig. 2, of a feed-Water heater embodying my invention. tionon the line- II II of' Fig. 1.

top plan view, partly broken away. Fig. 4

supply of water to the heater.

In the said drawings, 1 indicates a'suitable water and steam tight casing, preferably in form and of such construction that its'front plate may be readily removed when desired.

2 is a horizontal partition dividingy the casing into a lower shallow steam-chamber 3 and an upper compartment 4.

5 is a steam-supply is a vertical section of a valve controlling the pipe communicating hamber 3 and through partition 2 and stand-pipe 6 with compartment 4 a suitable distance above the bottom thereof, an exhaust-pipe for steamcommunicating with the Vupper end of said compartment.

8 is a watersupply pi e'communicatl'ng through opening 9 with t e upper rear portion, by preference, of compartment 4, and 10 is a valve-casing lmountedon said pipe and provided with adiaphragm or partition 11, provided with an' opening 12, closed by valve 13, the stem of said .valve eX- tending up through a cap 15 and an inverted rubbercupV 16, said cup exerting a yieldingpressure on the colla;` -17 on the stem for the purpose of cooperating with the float, hereinafter referred t0; in holding the valve seated. t

`ed to discharge the water into Fig. 2 .is a vertical sec-- Fig. 3 is a- `tire surface of the pan and lwith'the normally stem 14 of valve 18 indicates a series of superposed shallow pans in the casing resting upon cleats 19 and fitting snugly against casing. Each pan is provided at one end with a handle 20 to bear against the front or back wall, as the case. may be, to guard against forward -or rearward movement.

ans

tiguous to the-han i)es, said ends are of reduced height, so as to provide overfiowas-I 'sages 21, and

in this connection it wil be understood that the pans are so arranged that it is impossible for the steam discharged -into'the'lower part of compartment 4 to esthrough the sheets of water pouring from the ends of the pans, this arrangement insuring an' intimate relation betweenthe water and the steam and resultingin heating. the former. It will,l furthermore, be obvious -that the steam not only hasaccess to the falling water, but also has contact with almost the ensurface cape through exhaust-pipe 7 without passing of the water in the latter. A

23 indicates a pipe communicating with the lower par', of compartment 4 and with a pump, (not shown,) whereby water is pumped from the casing to the boiler, and 24 is a pipe also communicating with the lower part of chamber 4 and with a casing 25, containing a wardly-projecting stem 27, to which is pivotally connected a lever 28, fulcrumed on a bracket 29, mountedl upon ythe floatcasng.

Upon one end ofthe lever is an adjustable weight or poise 30, and pivotally connected to the opposite end is a link 31, pivotally connected at'its upper end tothe lever 32, fulcrumed4 on an arm 33, projecting upward from the valve-casing,the opposite end of the side walls f the iioat 26, said fioathaving an uproo saiddever being pivotally connected to the 13. The float-casing is preferably supported by brackets 34 from casing 1, though it may be supported in anyY other suitable or preferred manner, and is connected to casing 1 by pipe 35, which establishes communication between the casings l for circulation 4 of the particles foreign to thewater which accumulate on partition 2 below pipes 23 and` 24, it is\eiected b v removing plug 35 from the drain-pipe 36, communicating at its upper end with the bottom of compartment 4 and at its lower end with the atmosphere.

When the Water is not being pumped from theheater to the boiler, it accumulates to about the level `shown in Figs. l and 2 and raises the float 26 and cooperates with cushion 16 in overcoming the yielding resistance of the weight or poise 30 and the pressure of the water on the valve. When the pump begins to operate and draw water from casing r1, and therefore lower water in the latter and in the float-casing, the oat descends and cooperates with the j pressure of the water on the valve and the this arrangement it 1s obvious that the water therein vand fitting snugly weight or -poise in overcoming the resistance of the cushion to unseat said valve and permit water to enter the casing and fall into the topmost pan, so as to cause the latter to overinto the pan immediately below, the latter in flow through openingl 2l and fall in a sheet ,turn overiiowing at its corresponding or rear It will end into the pan next below, and so on. thus be seen that the steam discharged into compartment 4 above the level of the water therein is caused by the staggered arrangement of the pans to follow a tortuous course before it can escape through pi pc 7 and that in such course it passes through thin sheets of water flowing from each pan, as well as having access to the entire bottom of each pan and to theentire4 surface of vthe water therein. Bv

can be etiectually heatedbelore it 'falls to the bottom of the casing and that the water collected in the bottom ol" the latter is subjected to the heat ot the steam above it, the heat of the partition Jfrom the steam below it, and ot' the pipe 6 from the steam passing through it.

It will be apparent that the action ol` the heater is entirely automatic and reliable in operation and that it is susceptible of modiiication in minor particulars.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is` A 1. A feed-water heater, comprising a casing, a series of superposed pans arranged against the side walls thereof with the alternate pans iitting snugly against the back and front walls ree spectively, of the casing, and their opposite ends provided with overflow-openings, handles secured to the overflow ends of the pans and engaging a wall of the casing to hold the pans in properstaggered relation, means to supply water to the topmost pan, means to the level of the' withdraw the water falling from the undermost pan, and means for passing steam successively through the sheets of water falling from the overow-openings of said pans.

2. A feed-water heater, comprising a casing, a partition dividing the same into an upper and a lower compartment, a water-supply pipe communicating with the upper end of' the upper compartment, means for withdrawing the water from the bottom of the -upper compartment, a pipe communicating with and projecting upward a suitable distance into the upper compartment, a steamexhaust pipe communicating with the upper end of the upper compartment, an exit waterpipe communicating with the upper vcompartment below the discharge end ot the pipe projecting upwardly therein, oneormore supcrposed pans in the casing between the pipes for supplying water and exhausting the steam and the pipes for supplying the steam and withdrawing the water, a Hoat-casing communicating with the upper compartment ofthe irst-named casing below the discharge end of the pipe projecting upwardly therein, a iioat in the lioat-casing, a valve controlling the water supply pipe, and connections whereby the rising of the iioat mined distance shall close said valve.

3. A feed-water heater, comprising a casing, a partition dividing the same into an upper and a lower compartment, a water-supply pipe communicating with the upper end of the upper compartment, means for withdrawing the water from the bottom of the upper compartment, a pipe communicating with and projecting upward a suitable .distance into the upper compartment, a steamexhaust pipe communicating with the upper j end of the upper compartment, an exit water-pipe communicating with the 'upper compartment below the discharge end ot' the pipe projecting upwardly therein, one or j more superposed pans in the casing between l the pipes for supplying water and exhausting j the steam and the pipes for supplying the l valve, and means whereby the lowering of the water-level in the casings shall positively e'tl`eet the lowering of the float and the reopening of the valve.

ln testimony whereof I amx my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY w. LEGEL. Witnesses:

H. C. RoncERs, G. Y. THORPE.

al predeterl `i TOO 

